Forensic science international最新文献

{"title":"Bridging the gap: Exploring the microbial influence on forensic ABO typing discrepancies for enhanced investigative accuracy","authors":"Sreemoyee Chakraborti ,&nbsp;Sandip Ghosh","doi":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2024.112284","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2024.112284","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Forensic serology has long been a cornerstone in forensic investigations, utilizing multidisciplinary approaches to identify and individualize biological evidence at crime scenes. However, the field faces challenges such as the potential for blood group changes in individuals affected by diseases or medical treatments, leading to false outcomes in prolonged legal cases. Additionally, the passive adsorption of bacterial products by red blood cells can result in blood group switching, emphasizing the need for careful analysis, especially in cases of concurrent infections. Furthermore, post-mortem samples may exhibit blood group variations, necessitating meticulous examination and interpretation of forensic serology results. Despite the advent of DNA typing techniques, traditional forensic serology methods remain relevant, with skills in recognizing stain patterns and selecting informative specimens indispensable. The present review highlights the increasing recognition of bacterial contaminations and their implications for forensic serology, underscoring the need for ongoing research, innovation, and collaboration within the field. This understanding revitalizes forensic science by emphasizing the critical role of maintaining the integrity of serological analyses and enhancing overall reliability.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12341,"journal":{"name":"Forensic science international","volume":"365 ","pages":"Article 112284"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-10-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142603895","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Neurological symptoms in pediatric abusive head trauma: Multi-center data for clinical forensic medicine","authors":"Katharina Feld ,&nbsp;Dustin Feld ,&nbsp;Maria L. Hahnemann ,&nbsp;Sibylle Banaschak ,&nbsp;Heidi Pfeiffer ,&nbsp;Bernd Karger ,&nbsp;Daniel Wittschieber","doi":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2024.112283","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2024.112283","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Central nervous system-associated lesions can frequently be found in abusive head trauma (AHT) cases. Since there are frequently no visible signs of injury on the body surface, the diagnosis of AHT can be challenging. In particular, if the affected child shows only isolated neurological symptoms, these are often misinterpreted as a minor illness. Using a retrospective study design at three university hospitals, 72 medico-legal cases of “shaken baby syndrome” – a common variant of AHT – were analyzed. A comparison between confession cases (n=15) and non-confession cases was used in order to reduce the risk of circular reasoning. The most common neurological symptoms in the present cases were: epileptic seizures (44 %), pallor (37 %), somnolence (31 %), reduced muscle tone (25 %), vomiting (20 %) and unconsciousness (15 %). There were also no statistically significant differences between confession and non-confession cases, nor when comparing the simultaneous presence of skin or skeletal lesions. The combination of several symptoms serves as an indicator for the presence of AHT and should lead to further diagnostic measures under the hypothesis of the presence of an AHT in clinical observation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12341,"journal":{"name":"Forensic science international","volume":"365 ","pages":"Article 112283"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-10-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142578385","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The photographic sign and the trichotomy of the trace","authors":"Romain Voisard,&nbsp;Pierre Margot","doi":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2024.112279","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2024.112279","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This article offers a novel perspective on the specific understanding of the photographic sign, situating the trace at the core of its functioning. The photographic sign is subjected to Peirce semiotics analysis, which reveals its underlying structure. This decomposition allows the establishment of a semiotic model that clarifies the essence and characteristics of photography and draws certain broader lessons about the notion of trace. On this basis, three categories of object are distinguished the trace, the indicant and the print. These three objects constitute what we call the <em>Trichotomy of the trace</em> which takes on its full meaning in the forensic field. Building upon this triadic model and our analysis of photography, we propose a refined definition of the trace.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12341,"journal":{"name":"Forensic science international","volume":"365 ","pages":"Article 112279"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-10-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142593614","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Diagnostic value of serum thymus and activation-regulated chemokine (TARC) in fatal asthma","authors":"Atsushi Yamada ,&nbsp;Kyoka Kiryu ,&nbsp;Satoshi Takashino ,&nbsp;Masaki Yoshida ,&nbsp;Toshiaki Takeichi ,&nbsp;Osamu Kitamura","doi":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2024.112276","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2024.112276","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objectives</h3><div>Asthma, a chronic inflammatory airway disease, is characterized by airway hyperresponsiveness and structural changes. Accurate postmortem diagnosis is crucial because of legal and insurance implications, necessitating differentiation from other causes of sudden death. Thymus and activation-regulated chemokine (TARC) is a chemokine that potentially acts as a biomarker of asthma. This study evaluated the diagnostic value of serum TARC combined with immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels as biomarkers in forensic settings.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The subjects were 100 autopsy cases, categorized into fatal asthma (n = 25), acute myocardial infarction (AMI) (n = 37), and traumatic deaths (n = 38). TARC levels were significantly elevated in asthma (525.68 ± 801.87 pg/mL) compared with AMI (180.35 ± 109.37 pg/mL) and trauma (173.26 ± 105.01 pg/mL) cases. Similarly, serum IgE levels were higher in asthma (3363.72 ± 7023.46 KU/L) than in AMI (130.92 ± 260.79 KU/L) and trauma (134.53 ± 195.41 KU/L) cases. ROC curve analysis showed that serum TARC had a sensitivity of 68.0 % and specificity of 73.6 % (AUC 0.763, cut-off value of 225 pg/mL). In comparison, serum IgE had a sensitivity of 80 % and specificity of 86.1 % (AUC 0.881, cut-off value of 307 KU/L). The combined use of TARC and IgE increased the diagnostic specificity to 95.8 %.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Serum TARC and IgE are valuable biomarkers for diagnosing fatal asthma in forensic settings. While serum TARC levels correlate with Th2-mediated inflammation, the combined measurement of TARC and IgE enhances the diagnostic accuracy, providing significant specificity for confirming asthma diagnosis.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12341,"journal":{"name":"Forensic science international","volume":"365 ","pages":"Article 112276"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-10-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142561238","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Basal vacuolization of renal tubules in hypothermia: A comprehensive pathological study based on 79 forensic autopsy cases","authors":"Shojiro Ichimata,&nbsp;Yukiko Hata,&nbsp;Naoki Nishida","doi":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2024.112277","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2024.112277","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigated the usefulness of histopathological examination in diagnosing ketoacidosis in hypothermia cases. Out of 79 cases (38 females), 30 showed basal vacuolization (BV), a representative histopathological finding of ketoacidosis, in their hematoxylin and eosin (H&amp;E)-stained specimens. Through the use of both lipid staining with osmium tetroxide postfixation and immunohistochemistry for adipophilin (ADFP-IHC), BV pattern pathology was identified in 43 cases. Serum was available in 75 cases, with 37 having serum β-hydroxybutyrate levels exceeding 1000 μmol/L. Serum β-hydroxybutyrate concentrations showed a significantly negative correlation with age and tended to be lower in outdoor hypothermia cases than in indoor cases. When comparing serum β-hydroxybutyrate levels with histopathological findings, all but one of the BV-positive cases on H&amp;E staining were serologically diagnosed as ketoacidosis. However, when combining multiple staining methods, six cases were histologically positive but serologically negative. Using multiple staining methods increases BV detection sensitivity, but it may also detect findings of unknown pathological significance. Therefore, identifying a distinct BV pattern in H&amp;E-stained specimens is crucial for suspecting ketoacidosis in the usual practice of forensic pathology, and ADFP-IHC is useful for confirming lipid droplet presence. Our results suggest that BV positivity rates are strongly influenced by the case characteristics of the study cohort, particularly the proportion of older adults. Thus, the extent to which BV is complicated by hypothermia should be examined and understood on a country-by-country or region-by-region basis.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12341,"journal":{"name":"Forensic science international","volume":"365 ","pages":"Article 112277"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-10-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142561236","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Determine deformation energy in side impact by incorporating contact area in crash algorithm","authors":"Badr Ait Syad,&nbsp;El Mehdi Salmani","doi":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2024.112259","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2024.112259","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This research paper explores potential enhancements to the CRASH algorithm by proposing a hypothesis that relates deformation to applied stress instead of force. By incorporating stress instead of force, the calculation can account for the contact area, leading to a more precise estimation of impact velocity, particularly in side impacts. An initial evaluation of this energy absorption calculation formula is presented, focusing on side impacts in vehicle \"2022 Hyundai Ion.\" Two side impact reports for the vehicle from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) database were utilized. One report involved the vehicle tilted at a 45-degree angle against a fixed pole with a 254 mm diameter, while the other examined the vehicle colliding with a moving deformable barrier (MDB) at various speeds. Additionally, a Monte Carlo simulation was conducted to validate the model's applicability. The verification process involved estimating stiffness coefficients from the first report and employing them to calculate energy absorption during the crash against the moving deformable barrier. The analysis demonstrates promising improvements in accurately calculating deformation energy absorbed during impacts.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12341,"journal":{"name":"Forensic science international","volume":"365 ","pages":"Article 112259"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-10-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142561237","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Application of machine-learning methods in age-at-death estimation from 3D surface scans of the adult acetabulum","authors":"Michal Štepanovský ,&nbsp;Zdeněk Buk ,&nbsp;Anežka Pilmann Kotěrová ,&nbsp;Jaroslav Brůžek ,&nbsp;Šárka Bejdová ,&nbsp;Nawaporn Techataweewan ,&nbsp;Jana Velemínská","doi":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2024.112272","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2024.112272","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><div>Age-at-death estimation is usually done manually by experts. As such, manual estimation is subjective and greatly depends on the past experience and proficiency of the expert. This becomes even more critical if experts need to evaluate individuals with unknown population affinity or with affinity that they are not familiar with. The purpose of this study is to design a novel age-at-death estimation method allowing for automatic evaluation on computers, thus eliminating the human factor.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We used a traditional machine-learning approach with explicit feature extraction. First, we identified and described the features that are relevant for age-at-death estimation. Then, we created a multi-linear regression model combining these features. Finally, we analysed the model performance in terms of Mean Absolute Error (MAE), Mean Bias Error (MBE), Slope of Residuals (SoR) and Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE).</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The main result of this study is a population-independent method of estimating an individual's age-at-death using the acetabulum of the pelvis. Apart from data acquisition, the whole procedure of pre-processing, feature extraction and age estimation is fully automated and implemented as a computer program. This program is a part of a freely available web-based software tool called CoxAGE3D, which is available at <span><span>https://coxage3d.fit.cvut.cz/</span><svg><path></path></svg></span>. Based on our dataset, the MAE of the presented method is about 10.7 years. In addition, five population-specific models for Thai, Lithuanian, Portuguese, Greek and Swiss populations are also given. The MAEs for these populations are 9.6, 9.8, 10.8, 10.5 and 9.2 years, respectively. Our age-at-death estimation method is suitable for individuals with unknown population affinity and provides acceptable accuracy. The age estimation error cannot be completely eliminated, because it is a consequence of the variability of the ageing process of different individuals not only across different populations but also within a certain population.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12341,"journal":{"name":"Forensic science international","volume":"365 ","pages":"Article 112272"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-10-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142544661","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Hair straightener burns in children: An experimental study originating from 2 cases","authors":"Alberto Amadasi ,&nbsp;Franziska Schwarz ,&nbsp;Luca Berti ,&nbsp;Lars Oesterhelweg","doi":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2024.112270","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2024.112270","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Burns in children are a topic of fundamental importance in the context of the differential diagnosis between accidental events and abuse. In this context, the present study arose from two cases of children with second-degree burns (in case 1 on the leg, in case 2 on the foot) caused by contact with the hot surfaces of a hair straightener, which were reported as accidental events but trough the complete medico-legal investigation later turned out to be abusive burns. With an experimental set on pig skin and by simulating the two anatomical districts (leg and foot), using the same type of hair straightener, injuries were caused by simulating different positions and possible variants of accidental and non-accidental occurrence. The morphology of the injuries confirmed the assessment of child abuse in both cases by “pressing” between the two hot plates of the hair straightener, with almost mirror-like injuries on the inner and outer sides of the skin. Cases of child abuse contact burns with hair straighteners have never been described in the forensic literature, but their widespread diffusion makes knowledge of the characteristics of possible injuries important.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12341,"journal":{"name":"Forensic science international","volume":"365 ","pages":"Article 112270"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-10-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142544663","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Classification of epidermal, buccal, penile and vaginal epithelial cells using morphological characteristics measured by imaging flow cytometry","authors":"Dana Ross ,&nbsp;Duncan Taylor ,&nbsp;Roland A.H. van Oorschot ,&nbsp;Giles Best ,&nbsp;Mariya Goray","doi":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2024.112274","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2024.112274","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>As a result of the increased sensitivity of forensic DNA techniques, which can generate informative results from as little as a few cells, developing an understanding of the anatomical region these cells originate from is becoming more pertinent. Imaging Flow Cytometry (IFC) represents a promising method for identifying epithelial cells from different anatomical regions. This project aimed to determine whether IFC could be used to distinguish epithelial cells collected from different forensically relevant anatomical regions based on their morphology and autofluorescence. Penile, vaginal, buccal, and epidermal epithelial cells were collected in triplicate from 15 male and 15 female participants, in three different age groups: 18–39, 40–59, and 60+ years. Using the high statistical output from the IFC, 234 morphological measurements were collected for 571,546 single cells. Using a linear discriminate analysis with a minimum posterior probability threshold, the four epithelial cell types could be identified and distinguished with a 72–83 % classification accuracy. The results showed that the age and biological sex of the individual had no effect on the morphology of the four epithelial cell types. These data provide insights into the ability of IFC to identify and distinguish penile, buccal, vaginal, and epidermal epithelial cells and identifies further avenues for improvement and optimisation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12341,"journal":{"name":"Forensic science international","volume":"365 ","pages":"Article 112274"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-10-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142544662","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Synthesis and application of silver nanoparticles from lemon peel extract and other local plant extracts for detection of “blood” at crime scene","authors":"Nare Leah. Mojela,&nbsp;Kriveshini Pillay,&nbsp;Patrick Phogothi. Komane","doi":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2024.112257","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2024.112257","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study reports the enhancement of luminol's sensitivity for blood detection at a crime scene. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were synthesized from the extracts derived from <em>Citrus limon</em> peels, <em>Aloe vera</em> leaves, <em>Capsicum annuum</em> barks from <em>Salix alba</em>, <em>Crinum asiaticum Linn</em> leaves, and <em>Crinum macowanii</em> bulb using green chemistry procedure. Synthesis of silver nanoparticles followed a green chemistry method utilizing water as a solvent, with the phytochemicals from the extracts acting as stabilizing and reducing agents to reduce Ag(I) to Ag(0). The synthesized AgNPs were characterized using Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and Ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis). XRD revealed that the structural composition of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) was face-centered cubic crystalline (Fcc). TEM imaging demonstrated the spherical crystalline nature of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) derived from the plant extracts. These silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were used to enhance the shelf-life, chemiluminescence intensity, specificity, and sensitivity of luminol. It was observed that the silver nanoparticles synthesized from these plant extracts effectively enhanced the chemiluminescence signal of luminol. Moreover, applying plant extracts in blood detection demonstrated a higher fluorescence when exposed to ultraviolet (UV) light.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12341,"journal":{"name":"Forensic science international","volume":"365 ","pages":"Article 112257"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-10-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142560872","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}